Ithaca bound: Men's, women's track teams seek glory at Heps

With the largest meet of the year starting tomorrow, someone might think that the men's and women's indoor track and field teams are getting nervous about their chances against the rest of the Ivy League and Navy at the Heptagonal Championships. Well if that is the case, this "someone" obviously does not know the Tigers' track teams very well, because both the men and women are anything but nervous.

This is the moment that the entire season has been geared towards, and every athlete that left for Cornell this morning knows that. All the grueling practices and thrilling meets have been stepping stones for the biggest weekend of the entire season.

For the men's squad, this is the chance that both the coaches and athletes have been waiting for, to prove that they are indeed a better team than Penn. Last indoor season, the Tigers won the Heps title, defeating second place Penn 118 to 84. The men are currently the four-time defending champion for the indoor meet. However, there was a surprise during the outdoor season, as Penn beat the Tigers 136.5-117 points. The Tigers have now had to wait since last May for their chance to get back at Penn.

Senior co-captain Tora Harris will lead the Tigers. The senior is as close as you can possibly get to a guaranteed Heps Champion. In the high jump, he looks to capture his fourth indoor title, and seventh overall. Last season, Harris was named as the meet's Outstanding Performer, and he currently holds the top mark in the nation for this season in his event, having already qualified for nationals.

When looking to the running events, no Tiger is more prominent than senior co-captain Ryan Smith, who is currently ranked in the top three in the Heps in the 500, 800, and 1000 meter runs. Smith, who is a NCAA provisional qualifier in the 800 meter, plans on running both the 500 and 1000 this weekend, an extremely difficult double, especially considering the fact that he will have to run each event on both Saturday in the qualifying races, and then again on Sunday in the finals.

Smith leads a large crew of middle distance runners that will be competing this weekend. With a limit of 33 athletes that each team can have compete in the championship meet, Princeton will rely heavily on its middle distance crew to rack up a lot of points, given the fact that the Tigers undoubtedly have the strongest middle distance contingent in the league. After Smith, junior David Dean is the Tigers next big hope, being a NCAA provisional qualifier in the 800 as well, and having the ability to bring a in a lot of points. In the middle distance events, the Tigers main competition will undoubtedly come from Penn's All-American junior, Sam Burley, who is a large threat in the 500, 800, or 1000 meter runs. Brown senior Enda Johnson is also an athlete to look out for, with his times for both the 1000 meter and mile being in the top two in the league.

All-American sophomore Josh McCaughey is the defending league champion, and currently holds the top distance in the league for the weight throw. McCaughey, who has provisionally qualified for nationals this year, looks to bring home a victory for the Tigers this weekend.

Junior Cameron Atkinson has been tearing up the track recently in the sprints with school records in both the 60 and 200 meter dashes.

In the distance events, senior Kevin Gallagher, junior Mike Baird and sophomore Tristan Colangelo are all expected to score for the Tigers. The same goes for junior Javius Wynn who has the ability to score in both the hurdles as well as the long jump.

When looking at the women's team, it is not a story about getting back on the top, but rather one of moving up in the ranks and earning the respect that a strong team does. Last year, the Tigers finished sixth out of the nine teams at Heps, with their score of 30 points far behind champion Brown's 120. After a successful season this year, the women are excited about this weekend where they will be able to show the rest of the teams at Heps that they are ready to take a big step up and contend with the powerhouses of the league.

Senior captain and NCAA provisional qualifier in the 800 Lauren Simmons will be leading the Tigers at Cornell this weekend. With the fastest time in the league in the 800 this season, Simmons is highly touted to win her third 800 Heps title. Also having the second best 400 meter time in the league this year, Simmons will undoubtedly be expected to contribute outside of her premier event of the 800 as well.

The Tigers will expect a lot from their talented crew of younger athletes, loking to sophomores and freshman for point scoring. Sophomore Susan Coltman leads the league in the Pentathlon, and is expected to score highly for the Tigers this weekend. The same goes for sophomore Chelo Canino who just set the school record in the pole vault this past weekend.

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Freshman sprinter Chanel Lattimer looks to make a big impact this weekend, being ranked in the top four in the league in both the 60 and 200 meter dashes. Freshman Randy Buzall looks to score in the middle distance events, as does fellow freshman Brooke Minor in the high jump.

In the distance events, it is the upperclass women who lead the way, with seniors Catherine Casey and Natalie Deffenbaugh, junior Sarah Rivlin, and sophomore Emily Kroshus all looking to score points for the Tigers.

Both teams head into this weekend with different expectations and goals.

The athletes on these teams are excited and roaring to go. It is the competition that should be nervous.